Nature Talks, Whanganui: Dr Derek Barrett on archaeology of ancient civilisation, Ammam in Jordan

Al Deir, the Monastery, elaboratively carved out of sandstone at Petra in Jordan, is one of many similarly constructed buildings at this Unesco World Heritage Site. Photo / Derek Barrett

This month’s Nature Talks, to be held on Tuesday, October 15, is by Dr Derek Barrett, an anaesthetist at the Whanganui Hospital and a notable photographer in the Whanganui Camera Club.

In this richly illustrated presentation, he will talk about his visit to Jordan in 2023, specifically to historic sites around Amman and the ancient cities of Petra and Jerash. He will be focusing on the archaeology of these sites and what they reveal about the development and persistence of an ancient civilisation in this arid environment.

Long before the Industrial Revolution allowed people to shape their world using machinery powered by the combustion engine, the people of the Levant applied ancient engineering skills and an understanding of the natural world to mould their environment.

Neolithic and Chalcolithic people (10,000–3500 years BCE) built sophisticated water management systems that used diversion dams to harvest and channel seasonal rainwater through a network of conduits and tunnels into cisterns from which they watered their crops and livestock.

It also allowed extensive settlement of an essentially arid region. As the population and production of goods grew, the region became a hub for long-distance trade in grains, animal and plant products and, later, copper and iron goods.

There was also political consolidation and intermittent shifts in power. These resulted in a succession of states and authority among which, in this region, were the Nabataeans, Romans, Greeks and Byzantines. Each left its mark on the landscapes and culture of the people.

Principal among these was the construction of the city of Petra, hewn out of red sandstone by the Nabateans. One of the world’s richest and largest archaeological sites, it is today considered one of the Seven New Wonders of the World and is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The influence of Greek and Roman occupation is also apparent, both at Petra, and elsewhere in Jordan, including Amman, the capital, and at Jerash, north of Amman. The latter two sites both contain classic examples of Greco-Roman architecture, most notably the Citadel in Amman and the Colonnade in Jerash. These and other structures reflect the past importance of these ancient cities as political and commercial centres.

Derek’s talk provides an opportunity to think about the impacts of human activity on the natural world; the changing nature of these impacts over millennia; the forces that have driven and continue to shape that world; and how the inhabitants, human and otherwise, have responded to these challenges.

Derek’s talk will be given in the Davis Lecture Theatre at the Whanganui Regional Museum, on Tuesday, October 15, starting at 7:30pm. Entry is free but a koha is always appreciated by those who can afford it.

Nature Talks is a series of bi-monthly talks offered by three local environmental groups- the Wanganui Botanical Group, the Whanganui branch of Forest & Bird and Birds New Zealand (Whanganui Region)- in conjunction with the Whanganui Regional Museum. The talks are normally given on the third Tuesday, every second month, on interesting environmental, natural history and conservation topics. For more information contact Peter Frost birds.wanganui@xtra.co.nz.